XL-H1 and P+S test
 

Well, with this delay thing mostly resolved, we're going through with the lens tests tomorrow. We did some preliminary tests for shading the camera and setting up a look (the directors like the cine 2 setting for both the gamma and color matrix, along with crushed blacks and a few other tweaks) Tomorrow I'll tweaka few more things and I've requested a large monitor so I can check for lit pixels and any other issues that I may have missed earlier. So I'm opening up to any and all for things to test. I'm not sure how long I'll have to play around but I'll check as much as possible. I'll be taking some pictures of the rig as well and will try to get some footage captured for those interested. (we'll be using super-speeds) so we can see what can be done in post.

Nick,

Please post whatever footage you can. If you need help or a place to upload, you can use my iDisk.

btw, are you guys strictly shooting HDV, or are you piping SDI into some other recorder? Would love to see examples from both, if it's possible.

I'll be happy to host video clips right here at DV Info Net for you, Nick. Please take some still photos of the rig! Stills are always great to see.

Just an update, the adpater, is running a day late so we'll be testing on thursday instead now.

It's be great if you post what lenses you are hooking up to it, too.

Thx. Can't wait.

Kevin

Kevin, I believe we'll be using (at least I requested) zeiss super speeds (from pc&e in atlanta) we should be using the 18,35,50 and 85mm lengths. but again I think we're getting a bit of a deal so it might be a take what you get sort of thing.

Nick, can you post some production stills of the H1 on the set..?

This should be real fun to see! Let's all go out and film 28 Days Later 2 together after seeing this. =)

Wahoo! Tests are done, the camera held up beautifully, or to be more accurate the codec held up, there was a small grain issue but I believe that may have been on the relay lens, not related to the camera. So here's the deal, I have footage, and pics what do you guys want to see, and more importantly what's the best way for me to get off of my camera onto my hard drive. (I have a mac) the tests I did earlier with HDVxDV were great but that will only give me a dv res to post, so if someone has a solution for macs and 24F I've got the footage.

So that being said here's a tease. I was super impressed (everyone was) with the results, again, not just the straight HD-SDI out but also the HDV compression, it just really holds up. Now it is entirely possible I'm missing some huge post issue, but it really looked good on the 20" CRT monitor we had set up. The "operators" were complaining about the weight and I offered to let them pick up an f900 but there's definitely a little bit of weight distribution problem, I think it will be overcome, but we're also playing with the "DVRIG" set up too (which I also have pictures of)

Anyhow like I said I'm super impressed with this cam, and this set up, now I offer up the footage (as soon as there is a way) for everyone to disect and tear apart. Oh and alexander the movie we're shooting is definitely similar to 28 days later so, we'll see how that turns out...

Chris Hurd,

step up to the plate and give nick some FTP server space babe!

This is the first offereing of professional production work done with the H1 outside of Canons material....




LINK TO XLH1 MATERIAL: http://www.pbase.com/Arrfilms

Michael Pappas
Arrfilms@hotmail.com
PappasArts & Arrfilms Main site
http://www.pbase.com/Arrfilms
http://www.PappasArts.com
http://www.Myspace.com/

HOT DAMMIT Nick, please show these people the footage so they can stop smacking me around for not showing any! *smile*

Use HDVxDV to capture the 24p .M2T files and upload those directly. That way we'll get full resolution 23.976fps footage from the cameras minidv tape.

From there, go ahead and down convert some of that stuff to quicktime for the mac users who don't care to see the raw footage. Someone on the PC side (michael? barlow?) will make some .WMV's from the .M2T footage for us PC guys who don't care to see the raw footage.

What shutter speed were you at? 1/250th like your movie is goig to be, or 1/48th?

Ya know, I wonder if the relay lens in the Mini35 will be updated for HD cameras since it seems they are beginning to give people problems with quality. It seems that's the only bottleneck I am hearing about these days when it comes to the Mini35 and HD cameras.

- ShannonRawls.com

Was any SDI recorded? or just HDV?

Look forward to seeing the clips.

Nick, did you take photographs of the XL-H1 in production?

Michael, HA professional... these were just lens tests,

OK HDVxDV it is, We were shooting at a slower shutter speed then 1/250 alternating mostly between 1/90 1/120 and the standard 1/48. Chris has already generously offered up the space for some previous tests, so let's not harass him too much ;) I'll import some of the footage now, and let you guys go to town.

(warning I'm also going to be drinking tonight so if some specs seem wrong, well there you go.)

Oh. I thought your working on a film with the H1...

Now that's funny! LoL. Enjoy!


Nick, thanks for all your time and effort to do these test!

Michael, yeah we are doing a film with this set-up but shooting doesn't start till saturday.

mathieu I took some shots, of one of the directors working with the camera, I'll gladly show those, I might be able to link to them through my iDisk account.

Ashley, no SDI, we were monitoring sdi but not recording it.

Also Let me thank, PC&E for being so gracious to let us do the tests, Dan McCain for training us on his rig (Meeting someone as professional as him in L.A. is a pleasure, much less in atlanta- no offense to my fellow ATL dvIers, but you probably know what I'm talking about) and Most of all thanks to my beautiful and amazing (almost great even) girlfriend for letting me geek out and get these tests to you guys.

Ok no worries, I'll take your word on it being stunning.

Ok I have three biggish files, in m2t format ready
If anyone wants to host them that would be super cool, I chose moving shots, so there's some out of focus and camera shake in there, but to be honest, to me, it looks great.

Oh and does anyone know how to mask a lit pixel?

Let's see it! =) Someone help this guy out...

Nick, I can support 500 megs or so on my .mac site. Email me if you need the space. (kevinwild@mac.)

Thanks.

Kevin

I can help with them too. I have 2GB storage and a little more bandwidth on my iDisk...but Chris Hurd's hosting seems to be the fattest of them all.

pm's work on this site, right? let me know if I can help

Barlow

OK I'm loading it to my iDisk because I would feel bad for eating other .mac members' bandwidth, so if it loads to my iDisk before I pass out then I'll post my website, if not you have to wait until I come to.

Here it is. (I think, .mac seems to have this issue with closing out files, I'll try again in the morning if there are issues, oh and please forgive the descriptions)

http://homepage.mac.com/edgefox/FileSharing8.html

http://homepage.mac.com/edgefox/FileSharing9.html

http://homepage.mac.com/edgefox/FileSharing10.html

Note: these are all .m2t files so you'll need VLC or something comparable to read them.

Nick the site says 0mbs .

lol and all the files are 0mb in size. Alcohol n uploading is a no no I guess.

I am 17.7% through downloading Nick Walk.m2t (the first file) it says its 102.6 Mb so I'd say .mac size is wrong..

I hope I'm right...

*EDIT* Ok File 8 (top) is fine (so far) the other two files (run dan run & Shake) are duds

I have this image of Nick passed out on his keyboard with an error message on the screen...

Dayummmmn that first clip looks nice. Definitely looks like old super 16, very impressive!

Thanks for the clips. Looks very nice.

yeah sorry folks alcohol and uploading are a bad idea, let me keep trying to upload the other two.

OH and for the record ashley was only half right, I was passed out on my BED, NEXT to my keyboard, not on top of it...

For the Mac users:

I've found streamclip smoother than than vlc for viewing the m2t files.
HTH

vince

ARGH I'm so upset with apple and iDisk, it seems that it will load the footage to my iDisk but then not close out, this is so unbelieveably frustraiting (oh and now I'm a little hungover to so that doesn't help anything...) Of course I am used to everything just working so I can't get too upset with apple.

If anyone wants to host more of the files I've got some more I can give you and a couple of tests to do today.

I'll see if production will let me load one or two clips from the actual shooting on saturday, it may not be possible, but I think I can swing it.

::EDIT::
Also why am I not suprised that the one clip that loaded was of my ugly mug, and happened to be the longest one, blah.

I think I can help ya... check yer email,

Well I only got the Run Dan Run clip and it looks really nice but kinna soft.
Is it possible that the mini35 isn't sharp enough for the h1?

Where are these clips? All I keep seeing are 0KB download pages

I'd be happy to mirror these to my iDisk too if I could get a URL where they actually are.

"Where are these clips? All I keep seeing are 0KB download pages"

just hit the dowload icon. they're mis-marked.

HTH

vince

But only the second one works for me.With the first one I get "file not found" and the third is a 1kb file.

I could only download Run Dan Run. Looks interesting...still kind of strange. It's kind of "gritty".

Is the look intentional, Nick? I like it but it's definitely not all that sharp.

Thanks for putting it up. Hope we can see more.

Do you have any with/without adapter comparisons?

Sorry the run dan run clip, was kinda just a test for breakup, and focus became less of an issue(it wasn't the adapter it was the operator). the nick walks clip is a little more focal accurate, and the "shake" clip also hit's focus once or twice. To be honest, it looked pretty sharp on the monitor when we checked it so I'm wondering if it's the HDVxDV but I'll look again. I think I have some clips without the adapter, but not from that shoot, and the lighting is completely different. so it wouldn't be a fair comparison.

The look is purposefully disaturated (directors choice) and the intention is to be sort of 16mm-ish again think, 28 days later. The Run Dan Run clip had a polarizer on I believe. Yeah I don't know whats up with .mac I'm trying to FTP the clips to chris right now.

Just viewed them on a computer monitor I think I see what you guys are talking about. the softness is mostly due to the operator, but it's possible there's a problem with the mini 35 (or a cloudy lens ::Sigh::), but let's say it's 98% operator. I'm not super happy with the appearance either but I will say it looks better played back through the camera on a monitor. But hey it's only test stuff now, so no harm no fowl.